Holdback.



W. T. HERNDON.

HOLDBAGK.

APPLIOATION IILED APB. zs 190s.

Patented July 27, 1909.

l I K I WILLIhM HERNDON, OF LAURINBURG, NORTH CAROLINA.

noLnBAcK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1909.

Application filed April 23, 1908. Serial No. 428,847.

To all whom it may concern?- Be it known that 1, WILLIAM T. HERNDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Laurinburg, in the county of Scotland and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Holdback, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hold backs for vehicles; and has for its object to provide a simple, secure and efficient device to be applied to the under side of each thill or shaft for securely holding the ends of a harness breeching, and so arranged as to prevent the breeching becoming accidentally disengaged while a horse is in harness, but which may be quickly and easily removed from its connection to the thills whenever desired;

To this end the invention comprises a suitable casing one of which is to be screwed to each thill, having a plurality of exterior hooks, and a cooperating pin and finger for each hook, said pin and finger being movable. The breeching is attached to the hooks and held from unintentional disengagement by the movable fingers.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists of the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved hold back attached to a thill, a portion of which only is shown; Fig. 2 a top plan view of the device removed from the thill, and Fig. 3 a cross sectional view of the thill and hold back.

Similar reference numerals are used for the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawing, 1 indicates a long narrow and thin casing made preferably of malleable iron, having a lug 2 at each end and a side lug 8, through which lugs screws 4 are driven to fasten the flat, open top of the hold back against the under side of the thill 5.

Projecting from one side of the casing 1 are a number of L-shaped hooks 6 equally spaced one from another and integral with said casing. The stems of the hooks 6 are substantially perpendicular to the side of the casing and are broader at their bases in the longitudinal direction of the casing than at their outer ends to give the hooks greater strength; said arms or outer ends 6 project forwardly at right angles to the stems for a short distance to engage the breeching.

Within the casing and extending centrally The exterior ends 10 of the pins 8 are convex or tapered and are held normally in contact with the ends of the arms 6 by means of a bowed leaf spring 11 within the casing, the center of which rests against the side thereof, its ends bending toward the bar 7 on the ends of which they bear at the side opposite the pins. The inward movement of the pins 8, or the compression of the spring 11 is limited by stops 12 which project upwardly from the bottom of the casing and against which the extreme ends of the bar strike.

Projecting horizontally from each pin 8 beneath and parallel with the arm 6 is a finger 13 which extends to the stem of the cooperating hook 6. The finger 13 is spaced from the arm 6 a distance suflicient to permit a ring 14, or other means on the breeching to move endwise on the hook 6.

As thus constructed a simple, safe and efficient hold back is produced. The breeching of the harness, extendin rearwardly, is retained in engagement with the hook 6 by the spring pressed pin 8, serving as a keeper and prevented from rattling bythe finger 13, the bowed spring 11 being sufiiciently strong for this pur )OSG.

The num er of hooks 6 and their spring pins or keepers 8 may be greater or less than the number shown. By having a number of hooks a horse of any size or harness with breeching straps of different lengths may be connected to the hold back without adjustment of any kind. Fastening all the pins 8 to one bar and having a single spring to keep the pins in normal position adds to the simplicity and cheapness of the hold back.

The operation of the device is obvious from an inspection of the drawing. Pressing understood that while the above described attachment is preferred anyother means may be em loyed for securing the breeching to the hold ack.

What is claimed is 1. A hold'back comprising a casing, ahook projecting therefrom and having an outer arm substantially parallel with the casing, a spring actuated pin or keeper arranged to close the open end of'the hook, and the outward movement of which is limited by engagement with said arm, and a finger projecting from the pin, said finger-being spaced a short distance from and maintained constantly in parallelism with the outer arm of the hook to limit the'play of the breeching or other harness member attached to the hold back.

2. A hold back-comprising a casing, a number of like hooks integrally attached on the side thereof and opening forwardly, and a spring actuated bar Within said casing having a number of pins secured thereto and projecting through the side of the casing to formclosures or keepers for the open ends of said hooks.

3. A hold back com rising a casing a number of like hooks rigidly attached on one side thereof and opening forwardly, a longitudinal bar Within said casing, pins on one side of said bar extending through openings in the side of the casing to form'closures or keepersfor the open ends of said hooks, and a spring' acting against the opposite side of said bar.-

4. A hold back comprising a number of like hooks projecting from one side thereof and opening forwardly, a spring actuated pin or keeper co-acting with each hook to close the open ends of said hooks, and a finger extending rearwardly fromeach' of said'pins and in constant parallel relation with the forwardly projecting portion of the hooks and s aced therefrom.

5. A hold back comprising a casing having a number of like hooks integrally formed therewith and projecting at right angles from one side thereof, a like number of'pins or keepers with tapered ends for closing the open ends of said hooks'fast'ened to a bar Within the casing, and spring means acting on said bar to hold the ends of said pins against the hooks.

In testimony that'I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiiXed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM T. HERNDON.

Witnesses JONATHAN CULE. HINTON JAMEs. 

